For now, the Buffalo Sabres' 23-man roster for their opening-night game Thursday appears set and it won't include impressive rookie winger JJ Peterka.
Peterka, a 19-year-old drafted in the second round in October 2020, was assigned to the Rochester Americans following practice Monday. He had three goals and four points in five preseason games after spending last season with EHC Red Bull Munchen of Germany's DEL.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald was also loaned to the Amerks before rosters were due to the league at 5 p.m. Monday.
While Peterka showed he's close to NHL ready, the Sabres view a prominent role with heavy minutes in Rochester over less ice time in Buffalo. Coach Don Granato made it clear that he expects Peterka to help the Sabres this season.
"JJ will be in that mix, there’s no doubt in my mind," Granato said. "But he can get more ice time, more special teams time right now there. ... We look at that as a tremendous opportunity."
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The Sabres traded up to select Peterka at 34th overall and he proved he's more ready for the NHL than expected. Peterka played 72 games in Germany's top professional league before signing an entry-level contract with the Sabres, totaling 20 points in 30 games in Munich last season. He was also had 10 points in five games at the IIHF World Junior Championship and represented Germany in the IIHF Men's World Championship.
Peterka joins an Amerks team that also includes 2020 first-round draft choice Jack Quinn, Brett Murray, Linus Weissbach, Oskari Laaksonen and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, among others.
In other Sabres news, winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby rejoined the Washington Capitals after he was placed on waivers by Buffalo on Sunday. The Sabres claimed Jonsson-Fjallby six days prior but a delay in the visa process prevented him from appearing in a preseason game. Practice time wasn't enough for Jonsson-Fjallby to surpass experienced depth forwards Drake Caggiula and John Hayden. Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, has yet to appear in an NHL game.
Although the roster can change, the Sabres' current plan is to carry the following 14 forwards, although only 12 will dress Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens: Jeff Skinner, Casey Mittelstadt, Vinnie Hinostroza, Rasmus Asplund, Tage Thompson, Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons, Cody Eakin, Kyle Okposo, Anders Bjork, Dylan Cozens, Drake Caggiula, John Hayden and Arttu Ruotsalainen.
The Sabres' seven defensemen are expected to be Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, Jacob Bryson, Colin Miller, Will Butcher, Robert Hagg and Mark Pysyk.
Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski will be the Sabres' goalies to start the season after the club decided to not claim anyone on waivers Monday.
Notable returns
Dahlin and Olofsson returned to practice after missing the final days of training camp with soft-tissue lower-body injuries. Dahlin regained his spot on the top defense pairing, while Olofsson is back in the team’s top six.
Personnel
The Sabres used the following forward lines during practice: Skinner-Mittelstadt-Hinostroza; Asplund-Thompson-Olofsson; Girgensons-Eakin-Okposo; Bjork-Cozens-Caggiula; and Hayden-Ruotsalainen-Peterka.
Granato deployed the following defense pairings: Dahlin-Jokiharju; Bryson-Miller; Hagg-Pysyk; and Butcher with Fitzgerald.
